Protector for shoe undersurfaces and method of securing same



M. D. KESSLER PROTECTOR FOR SHOE UNDERSURFACES AND METHOD OF SECURING SAME Filed Aug. 8, 1968 Oct. 21, 1969 3W MARVIN DONALD (5551.52

FIG. 5

United States Patent "ice 3,473,179 PROTECTOR FOR SHOlE UNDERSURFACES AND METHOD OF SECURING SAME Marvin Donald Kessler, 60 Ladue Estates E.,

Creve Coeur, Mo. 63141 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 589,769,

Oct. 25, 1966. This application Aug. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 751,315

Int. Cl. A43d 25/14, 11/00 US. Cl. 12-146 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A molded resilient plastic protector for undersurfaces of shoes, complete with a staple held by its points, secured by an empty stapling gun. The wearing surface of the protector has a lateral staple-accommodating groove near each end of which one point of the staple is retained, and a pair of gun-locator recesses spaced adjacent to each end of the groove. To secure the protector, it is first adhered to the shoe undersurface, the empty stapling gun is located and aligned over the projecting staple, and the gun is actuated.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This invention relates to resilient protector plates for the undersurfaces of shoes and to a new method for securing them; and is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 589,769, filed Oct. 25, 1966, entitled Resilient Plastic Shoe Heel Protector, which issued as Patent No. 3,414,990 on Dec. 10, 1968. The disclosure of that application, to the extent applicable, is incorporated herein by reference, and the benefit of its filing date is claimed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Protective plates, formed of resilient plastic material, are utilizable for the protection of any shoe undersurface, for example, either at the toe or at the heel. For such universal application, a small triangular-shaped protector may suffice.

Briefiy summarizing, the present invention, in terms of an article, provides a resilient plate-like protector, which may be triangular in shape, having a fiat adherent surface and a wearing surface. Adjacent to one side edge is a laterally extending staple-accommodating groove, within which a securing staple is retained resiliently in the protector with its points presented at the adherent surface and the remaining portions projecting outward from the wearing surface. Adjacent to and spaced from each end of the groove is a locator recess, for aiding in the alignment of an empty stapling gun for driving as hereafter described.

Considered as a method of securing such a plate-like protector to the undersurface of a shoe, the invention includes the steps of adhering the protector by means of its adherent surface, then locating an empty stapling gun by applying its bottom slot over the portions of the staple which project outward from its wearing surface, and then actuating the gun to drive the staple. As the stapling gun is so located, its locator projections are inserted into the locator recesses in the protector plate, to insure positive alignment of the retained staple directly beneath the driving blade of the stapling gun.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protector embodying the present invention, shown with the staple elastically retained by its points.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

3,473,179 Patented Oct. 21, 1969 FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the plate of FIG. 1 adhered in position on the pointed toe of a shoe, preparatory to stapling by a superimposed empty stapling gun, shown in phantom lines.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a conventional stapling gun shown in position over the staple corresponding to that of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an alternate arrangement of such protector plates both at the toe and heel of the undersurface of a shoe.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The protector generally designated shown in perspective in FIG. 1 is formed by molding resilient tough plastic material. Like prior plate-like protectors, it has two major surfaces; one of these is a flat adherent surface 11, coated with a layer of adhesive 12 and having a protective sheet covering 13; the other major surface is the wearing surface 15, which may include projecting ribs 16. The preferred shape for the present protector is triangular, as shown, although this may be varied. Adjacent to one side edge 17 the plate has formed, into the wearing surface and to a depth of roughly half the distance between the wearing surface 15 and the adherent surface 11, a laterally extending staple-accommodating groove 18. Spaced from and adjacent to each end of the groove 18, in the apices of the plate 10 there adjacent, is a locator recess 20, as shown.

Assembled with the protector 10, in the manner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is a staple generally designated 22, having a flat lateral portion 23 from whose ends extend downwardly two prongs 24 each having a fiat tapered point 25. As assembled, the staple is retained by the resiliency of the plate 10 with its points 25 presented at the adherent surface 11. The remaining portions of its prongs 24 and its fiat lateral portion 23 are thus retained in the position shown, projecting outward from the wearing surface 15.

A stapling gun generally designated is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 3 in position for use as will hereafter be described. 'Except for its locator projections, to be described and which were shown in my said co-pending application, the stapling gun 30 is of a conventional type; hence its principal working parts are not illustrated, except those operative at the point where the staple is driven, as shown fragmentarily in FIG. 4. The stapling gun 30 is used empty, that is, without any supply of staples in the gun 30 itself. Assuming that the gun 30 used was originally intended to contain such a supply of staples, its supply mechanism will be inoperable for purpose of this invention. Thus a staple-supply space is shown between a lower stapler wall 31, an upper slide wall 32 and left and right side walls 33. Within the space so defined, an inverted channel-shaped staple pusher element 34 is normally urged forward to the empty position shown, by a compression spring 35, to advance a supply of such staples over a rectangular guide 36 provided in such space spacedly aft of the stapler forward wall 38. The rear face 37 of the rectangular guide 36 serves as a stop to prevent the staple pusher element 34 from approaching the forward wall 38 more closely than the space so provided. Spacedly aft of the forward wall 38, to provide a guide for reciprocation of a driving blade 39, is a vertical guide wall 40 which in FIG. 4 is formed as an upward extension of the forward end of the upper slide wall 32. Conventional mechanism, not shown, causes the driving blade 39 to reciprocate when the actuating handle 44 is pressed between the for-ward wall 38 and the guide wall 40, downward forwardly of the rectangular guide 36 and staple pusher element 34, into a slot-like staple discharge bottom opening generally designated 42.

This opening 42 is provided by spacing the forward edge 43 of the lower stapler wall 31 aft of the stapler forward wall 38 by slightly more than the width of the staple 22 to be received therethrough. Conventional spring-biased mechanism, not shown, returns the driving blade 39 upward to the FIG. 4 position. It is to be understood that in the present use, with the stapling gun 30 empty, no staples are discharged through the slot-like bottom opening 42; and that for purposes of the present invention, no such conventional staple supply mechanism plays any part.

In the preferred embodiment of the stapling gun 30 shown here, as in my said co-pending application, at the lower extremities of the left and right side walls 33 are a pair of locator projections 45, whose lateral spacing from each other corresponds with the locator recesses 20 of the protector 10, and which are proportioned for an easy aligning fit therein.

The method of the present invention will now be described. The protective sheet covering 13 is removed from the adhesive layer 12 on the adherent surface 11, and the adherent surface 11 is presented against that portion of the shoe undersurface to be protected, and is adhered by manually-applied pressure in the desired position. For a pointed toe shoe 50 shown in FIG. 3, the desired position may be with one of the apices of the triangular-shaped protector presented forwardly. The stapling gun 30 is then located and aligned by use of the staple 22 itself, by superimposing its slot-like bottom opening 42 over the projecting portions of the staple 22, and resting the gun undersurface 31 against the ribbed Wearing surface 15 of the protector 10. Meanwhile, in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the locator projections 45 are inserted into the locator recesses of the protector 10, for greater positiveness of alignment. The gun is then actuated by pressing the actuating handle 44, whereby its conventional mechanism, not shown, reciprocates the driving blade 39 downward, thereby driving the staple 22 into the undersurface of the shoe.

In FIG. 5 are shown two alternative positions where the present protector 10 may be utilized. At the relatively square toe of the sole of the shoe generally designated 51 one of the plates 10 is shown with its edge 17, which is adjacent to the staple groove 18, positioned close to the forward edge of the squared toe. A similar plate 10 is located at the heel of the shoe, with its staple groove 18 adjacent to the outer edge of the heel and with its opposite apex pointed inward.

Various modifications will occur to those interested in putting this disclosure to modified uses. Accordingly the present invention is not to be construed narrowly but rather as fully co-existence with the claims.

I claim:

1. The method of utilizing an empty stapling gun of the type having a slot-like bottom opening and a driving blade reciprocable downward to said opening, to secure to the undersurface of a shoe a resilient plate-like protector of the type having a wearing surface and an adherent surface, and having a securing staple retained resiliently by its points with said points persented at the adherent surface and its remaining portions projecting outward from the wearing surface, comprising the steps of presenting against the shoe undersurface the adherent surface of such a protector, and adhering the protector there in position for securing,

locating the empty stapling gun by superimposing its slot-like bottom staple-discharge opening over the portions of the staple so projecting and resting it against the wearing surface of the protector, and actuating the gun to reciprocate the driving blade downward and thereby to drive the resiliently retained staple into the undersurface of the shoe.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, to be utilized where the wearing surface of the protector has locator recesses spaced laterally from each other, one adjacent to and spaced from each end of the staple, and where the stapling gun has a pair of correspondingly spaced locator projections, wherein the step of locating the stapling gun includes inserting its locator projections into the locator recesses of the protector plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 287,854 8/1888 Buckley. 1,245,647 11/1917 Weinstein 3673 1,512,041 10/1924 Reed 3623 X 3,414,990 10/1968 Kessler 3673 FOREIGN PATENTS 304,538 3/ 1918 Germany.

ALFRED R. GUEST, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 3673 

